Top 5 Best NCLEX-RN Review Books – A Complete Buyer’s Guide

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best nclex rn review books

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After graduating and getting your RN degree, your next challenge is passing the NCLEX. It’s a standardized test that’ll gauge your preparedness in entering the nursing profession.

To pass the NCLEX, you need to prepare and for that, you’ll need the best NCLEX-RN review book. We’ll get to that later but first, it’s important for you to know which style is right for you.

What type of NCLEX-RN review book is best for you?

There are basically three styles of NCLEX review- The Content Review, The Strategy Review and The Q&A Review.

The Content Review means you need to focus on re-learning everything that you have learned (and forgotten) over the years. You have to review all the nursing topics one by one and be able to remember them even whilst answering practice test questions.

See Also: How To Pass the NCLEX-RN On First Try – The Only 5 Tips Every Nurse Must Know

The Strategy Review focuses more on tips and test-taking strategies. If you think you already know a lot of content on nursing topics, you can focus more on eliminating choices and answering test questions.

The Q&A Review style, as the name implies, focuses more on answering practice test questions.

Here’s a complete list of the ten best NCLEX-RN review books we highly recommend:

1. Lippincott Q&A Review for NCLEX-RN


Lippincott Q&A Review for NCLEX-RN focuses on 4 major content areas- pediatrics, mental health, obstetrics, and medical-surgical nursing. Each of those sections is carefully organized to help you be more familiar with common health problems.

Additionally, you’ll find 6 comprehensive examinations to help you get a feel of what it’s like to take the NCLEX-RN test. The book has over 6,000 questions that facilitate higher order thinking and active learning.

Pros:

  • Sections are carefully organized
  • Has 6 really comprehensive sets of questions
  • Has a self-analysis grid to track progress

Cons:

  • Rationales for the question are too simple

2. Saunders Comprehensive Review for the NCLEX-RN Examination


The Saunders Comprehensive Review for the NCLEX-RN Examination features a unique test-taking strategy. It also offers clues to help you analyze and uncover the correct answers while you are reviewing.

What’s nice about this reviewer is that it comes with different question formats. It includes prioritizing, multiple responses, fill-in-the-blank, and even audio questions to help you in practicing your skills.

Pros:

  • Questions are really good
  • Comprehensive

Cons:

  • Pages rip easy

Also Read: 8 Best Medical Dictionaries for Nurses

3. NCLEX-RN Questions & Answers Made Incredibly Easy Seventh Edition


NCLEX-RN Questions & Answers Made Incredibly Easy really live up to its name. Divided into 7 parts, it’s organized and easy to use. It features a two-column format which gives you immediate feedback and rationales for the answers.

The reviewer has over 6,500 questions. The comprehensive tests vary in lengths. Some have 75 questions while others have 265 questions. These are the maximum number of items candidates are required to answer when taking the NCLEX.

Pros:

  • Questions are challenging
  • Organized

Cons:

  • No review of systems

4. Mosby’s Review Cards for the NCLEX-RN® Examination 3rd Edition


Mosby’s Review Cards for the NCLEX-RN® Examination isn’t like your usual review books. Instead of studying with thick books, this one contains review cards that will help you focus on improving your test-taking skills. With valuable tips, it can also help you manage test anxiety which is pretty common among candidates taking the NCLEX.

The questions are organized per body section. They are classified by the nursing process step and cognitive level. There’s a separate section for pharmacology that will help you master that area even more.

Pros:

  • Handy
  • Improves test-taking skills

Cons:

  • Questions are straightforward and simple

5. Saunders 2018-2019 Strategies for Test Success


Saunders 2018-2019 Strategies for Test Success is written by experts in NCLEX exam prep. It’ll help you improve your critical, time management, and problem-solving skills so you can be more confident in taking the test.

It has about 1,200 review questions as well as hints for finding out the correct answers. The questions vary in difficulty, allowing you to refine your reasoning skills.

Pros:

  • Has rationales for both right and wrong answers
  • Includes online practice questions

Cons:

  • Questions are not as hard as real NCLEX questions

Also Read: A Nurse’s Ultimate Guide to NCLEX-RN – Application, Review, and License Instructions

Your Turn

What do you think are the best NCLEX-RN review books? We would love to hear from you!

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